Yuppie Pricks

Austin band Yuppie Pricks emerged from a very different background than typical punk rockers. The band formed in 1999 under the leadership of pharmaceutical mastermind Trevor Middleton and divorce lawyer extraordinaire Deuce Hollingsworth. Most peculiar of all, Yuppie Pricks write punk songs about being Republicans.

The band released their last album of “reverse psychology” punk on Bay Area record label Alternative Tentacles, headed by Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys and famous for working with artists such as Bloodhag. This time around, Yuppie Pricks is working with Austin label Chicken Ranch Records. Yuppie Pricks’ new album entitled “Balls” was released July 8, 2008 just in time for the presidential primaries. Yuppie Pricks takes a tongue-in-cheek political approach to punk with songs like “G.O.P.,” which feature lyrics like, “Do you belong to the G.O.P.? I do and I think that you should too.”

The impressive song listing of “Balls” alone demands attention with titles like “Greed is Good,” and “Fraternity Days.” The band’s abandonment of the “if it’s not cheap it’s not punk” aesthetic sets them aside from their punk constituents.

Goofy lyrics and humorous antics aside, Yuppie Pricks plays clean, fast, hard punk. Their vocals sound suitably gravely, their guitar parts shred and their songs never last much longer than two minutes. Unfortunately, their instrumentation sounds generic and uninspired. They’re a band completely bound by their appearance and confined to the joke they were founded upon. Once the novelty of their shtick wears off, they’re just another punk band.